Yes, they are correct.
Start by building the site from a new installation in a subdomain. For example, if your site is example.com , create new.example.com through your hosting provider’s control panel.
When you’re done building the site, move it over following this guide: https://codex.wordpress.org/Moving_WordPress#Changing_Your_Domain_Name_and_URLs
Thanks! Although since my current site is not a WordPress site, the transfer of the URL may be less daunting. I hope! 🙁
Your idea of building it in a subdomain makes more sense. I was told I had to build it in an entirely new domain, one I have parked at the moment. If I didn’t have that parked one, I would have had to buy another domain. So thanks for that.
While I have your ear, may I ask some more advice? Currently, my website is built in WebPlusX with linked blogs in WordPress, but none are responsive, which is why I have elected to rebuild from scratch. However, I will still need to maintain two blogs, written for different audiences. I believe I cannot do two blogs in one WordPress site anyway (can I?) so will have to keep the one blog linked anyway, yes? If so, it will still need to have the theme replaced due to the responsive design issue; how difficult is it to change a theme? Are there risks to loss of data?
For just two sites, I’d honestly recommend two separate WordPress installations, or one installation where you now do everything under one sites with a stronger focus on categorization.
Changing themes is as easy as picking a new coat to wear, you won’t lose anything. 🙂
If your hosting is cpanel you may be able to CLONE the development site once it is built to it’s new location. Of course back it up first.
Hi,
I’ve built the new site in a subdomain. I am almost ready to take it live.
I have a new question: once the old site is taken down and the subdomain becomes the new principle domain, what happens to all my internal links?
In other words: my site’s address is mademers.com. The new, not yet live, site is new.mademers.com. So all the media uploads, for example, have URLs that start with “http://new.mademers.com”. Once I take down the old site and move this from new.mademers.com to mademers.com, will my URLs update of their own accord or will I just break everything because the links will not update automatically?
Thanks.
You got to move the folders as well as database, make sure you do it right.
If you got problem with links, you could run a query in the database to update all your links using phpmyadmin.
You can also use third party plugins like backupbuddy or All-in-One WP Migration or Duplicator
Follow this guide specifically: https://codex.wordpress.org/Moving_WordPress#Changing_Your_Domain_Name_and_URLs
There are a few steps listed to make sure the URLs have all been changed properly.
Thanks, James.
I’m not clear however, as to whether I follow “Moving to a New Server” or “Moving Directories On Your Existing Server” because I’m not changing servers but I am changing the domain name and URLs. So does it follow that I treat this as if I’m moving to a new server?
Okay, thanks, and wish me luck!
And thank you, Marvel Labs, for the suggestion to run a query on the database if I run into link problems.
Much appreciated.
Reporting in: all went well. Just one last question: the instructions say to watch out for permission changes to “0000” and change back to “0644”. I have no “0000” but I do have several “0755”. Do these need to be changed to “0644”?
A few things to note for others who may find this post: because I was only moving the files within the same server (from a subdomain to the main domain), I actually needed to follow “Moving Directories On Your Existing Server”.
I backed up my new site’s files onto my home computer AND downloaded my databases just in case things went pear-shaped.
Then I emptied out my Public_html of all the old site’s files.
Then I logged into my new WP site and changed its URLs as per step 4 & 5. Then I moved its files to the core Public_html.
Logged back in to the new address. Downloaded Velvet Blues Update URLs (note: I love whoever built this) and updated my URLs.
Checked the site. Almost everything went well. Just a few things were missed by Velvet: my image widgets and their links had to be rebuilt (no big deal), and my Smart Slider 3 galleries had to be opened and resaved to find their new links. Again, a small issue.
Thanks to everyone here and on my server, Just Host, for their help.
the instructions say to watch out for permission changes to “0000” and change back to “0644”. I have no “0000” but I do have several “0755”. Do these need to be changed to “0644”?
Directories should be 755, and files should be 644, but some server configurations require the files to be 755 too and that’s fine.
Thanks for sharing your process!
Okay, great. That’s what I have.
Excellent, it should be good then. 🙂
